Alexander McQueen Flashcards
1
Q
What is the name of the piece
A
Widows of Culloden (Autumn/Winter 2006)
2
Q
Function
A
- McQueen made the purpose of this design to be worn as a dress. I can see this because the fabric covers the bodice, gathers at the waist and falls down to the knees. Therefore, the target audience are woman rather than men.
- McQueen designed this dress to showcase the Battle of Culloden. I know this because McQueen has used his clan’s tartan who fought in the battle and designed the dress in a way to resemble the traditional way to wear kilts. This suggests McQueens pride in his heritage and how the battle has affected his family.
- This design’s function is to make create a statement. The design has dark black and red colours which contrasts against the light colour of the skin, the silhouette is framed very nicely with the belt and the volume in the fabric at the bottom. This dress is a design you would see worn at an organised event like a fashion show and a ceilidh.
3
Q
Aesthetics
A
- McQueens design has a Scottish aesthetic. The fabric used is a tweed tartan. This makes the target market of this design people of with or an interest in Scottish heritage.
- McQueens design has an emotional appeal. The black lace symbolises death and makes me feel like there is a sense of loss.
- McQueens has used family’s tartan in his design. The fabric of the dress has a red background with black lines, checkers and white lines. This is used so McQueen can show his pride of his heritage and being descended from a Jacobite clan.
4
Q
Impact of social and cultural influences
A
- McQueen had a highly sought after apprenticeship at Savile Row with tailors Anderson and Sheppard. This allowed him to receive amazing tailoring skills which he used in the creation of the tight fitted bodice in the tartan of the Widows of Culloden dress.
- McQueen suffered physical and sexual abuse when he was a child. This influenced this design as the dress contains very dark reds and blacks with a gothic lace along the arms and across the chest. To showcase the suffering the widows of Culloden also endured.
- Isabella’s Blows death influenced his design. She had very poor mental health and sadly took her own life. She was very into darker, gothic style designs so he wanted to honour her by creating something he thought she would like.
- McQueen descended from the Jacobites, this influenced the design. He used his ancestor’s clan tartan as the main fabric of his design to dhow his pride for his family and culture.
5
Q
Materials and technology
A
- McQueen has used a tweed tartan fabric in his design. The tartan used has black checks with a red background and white lines, the tartan is his own family’s clan tartan. This emphasises how he wants his design to be unique showcase his heritage and personal.
- McQueen has used lace in his design. Down the arms and across the chest there is a sheer lace fabric with black flowery designs embroidered into it. The use of the black flowery designs symbolise death and suffering as it is seen to be the colour of mourning.
- McQueen has used a tulle underskirt in the dress. Underneath the pinched up dark tartan by the knees a cream-coloured tulle is revealed. A tulle is traditionally worn underneath a wedding dress which suggests to us that the dress McQueen made also symbolises the widows who were once innocent brides.
6
Q
Style
A
- The design has a Gothic style. McQueen has used dark blacks and reds in the dress and black lace on the arms and chest. This helps to amplify to dark theme or battle and bloodshed.
- McQueens design has a Scottish style. The dress has a traditional tartan fabric used as the dress and it is scrunched up in a way to represent the traditional way to wear a kilt. This emphasises the pride he has for his culture and people.
- McQueens design has a feminine style. The fabric covers the bodice, gathers at the waste and drops down to the knees. This makes a dress that enhances the feminine body figure.
7
Q
Techniques
A
- McQueen has used a tailoring technique. The design has been made to fit beautifully on the model’s body. This enhances the female figure.
- McQueen has used hand sewn-appliqué lace. The black flowered lace along the arms and the chest have been hand sewn into the sheer fabric. This emphasises the dark theme of death and funerals.
- McQueen has used natural gathered, pleating technique on the tartan fabric in his design. This can be seen this on the skirt part of the dress. This emphasises the traditional way to wear an 18th century kilt opposed to the machine sewn pleats of modern kilts and gives volume to the dress.
8
Q
Target market and audience
A
- McQueens design is aimed towards Scottish people. The dress is made with a tartan fabric and is scrunched up in a traditional kilt way. This makes the design appealing to Scottish people.
- The design is made for people who are interested in McQueens work. The design used McQueens own family tartan and reflects his ancestor’s past. This gives the design a more personal feeling which his audience would find very appealing.
- McQueen made the design for woman. The design is made to act as a dress, the bodice is covered, it gathers at the waist and drops down to the knees. This makes the design appealing to woman as it enhances their figure beautifully.
9
Q
Use of visual elements
A
- The design contains dark colours. The tartan fabric has black and dark red colours, the belt is black and there is black lace on the arms and chest. This helps to highlight the dark theme of death and the widow theme.
- McQueen uses contrasting colours in his design. The tartan fabric, belt and lace are made of very dark colours and the tulle underneath the skirt is a very light cream colour. This helps make the piece a statement and eye catching.
- The design uses colour to help portray the symbolism of the piece. There is a blood red colour on the tartan and an ivory cream tulle. The blood red is symbolic to the bloody Battle of Culloden and the cream tulle is symbolic to weddings.
